New California bills impose tighter gun controls

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed two bills into law that are intended to keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them.

The first bill he announced signing Friday, AB1964, addresses single-shot handguns.

Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson of Sacramento says a loophole in existing law lets people buy guns that do not meet state safety requirements if they had been temporarily turned into single-shot weapons. The buyer then could convert them back into a weapon that fires multiple bullets.

Brown also signed AB1591, which speeds up how quickly courts must notify the state Department of Justice when it is determined that a person can no longer legally own a firearm in California.

They are among several bills introduced by lawmakers in response to recent gun violence.